


Blossoming Love (花吐き病)

by orphan_account



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: (Nadine is still a mercenary lol), Alternate Universe, F/F, Florist!Elena, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Light Angst, Soulmates, Teacher!Chloe, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-23
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-08 19:58:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13465476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Chloe had never thought she would find herself in this position. Sure, she had been having some chest pains recently - she had chalked it up to a developing cold (it was the middle of flu season, after all).But the small, red flower petal that fluttered into the porcelain sink changed everything.She was in love with someone. And it was one-sided.Shit.





	1. Bloody Hell

**Author's Note:**

> _花吐き病 - Hanahaki Disease (literally: flower spitting disease). A disease in which the victim of unrequited love coughs up flower petals. They usually suffer from chest pains that grow in intensity as time goes on. If their love remains one-sided, they will eventually cough up whole flowers until they choke to death. The flowers can be surgically removed, but they will no longer have feelings for their special someone._   
>  _Gladiolus Flowers symbolizes honor, strength of character, and faithfulness. Also signifies remembrance._   
>  _Orchid Flowers symbolize exotic beauty, thoughtfulness, and glorious femininity._

Chloe had never really fallen in love with someone before. Sure, she had enough experience to know that she was attracted to both guys and girls, but love? that required a little too much trust and vulnerability. As she grew up, she had had crushes and definitely liked other people, but love was something else entirely.

And not the familial love or platonic love, she had experienced plenty of that. She knew she loved her parents and her best friend Elena, but that wasn’t the same thing. She was no stranger to sex, either, but she had never done someone she was in love with - she liked them, or at least was sexually frustrated enough to not be super picky, but it was never out of love.

Was she scared of love? Of course not. Was she also a huge liar? Yes, yes she was. It was a complex feeling, one that hurt both her head and her heart to think about, so she decided that the easiest decision was for her to not ponder for too long about that particular subject. But it was hard to avoid, especially with the Hanahaki disease that seemed to be lingering inside the chest of every other person she met. On a normal day, she could count at least seven different types of flower petals that had been abandoned on the ground while on her way to work - and she only had a five-minute walk to the school she taught at.

Yes, Chloe Frazer worked at a school. So it's not the glamorous life she imagined that she would have as a kid, and there’s nothing wrong with that. She loves history, and teaches it to fifth graders - she may be a bit biased towards the Asian and Australian units, but who could blame her? The amount of flower petals she has to sweep up every day concerned her, but she’s been warned many times by her superiors that she’s not allowed to comment on it.

“Teacher!” A small girl ran towards her, hair swept back in a cutely-short ponytail. Chloe looked up from the tests she was grading, a large grin finding its way to her face.

“Hi Meenu. What do you need, sweetheart?” Meenu was a foreign exchange student from India, and hell if Chloe didn’t show favoritism towards the little spitfire. Every time her accent floated through the air, she was transported back to her homeland. She could practically smell her mom’s curry now.

“So, you know that Career Day is next week?”

“I had almost forgotten! You know, the posters decorating the hallways weren’t enough to remind me.” The girl’s giggle and small shake of her head made Chloe smile even wider. “What about it?”

“I know my Host technically isn’t my parent, buuut she is my guardian, so I was wondering if I-"

“Of course your Host parent can come. I don’t see why she wouldn’t be able to.”

Meenu beamed, rushing around the desk to throw her arms around Chloe’s waist. “Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Miss Frazer! You’re the best!”

A hearty laugh slipped from the teacher’s lips as she hugged the small kid back. “Careful now, my ego can’t handle much more flattery.”

Besides the fact that Meenu shouldn’t have to be left out of the fun, Chloe was extremely curious about her Host parent. She had heard a lot about her over the past few months. Chloe even knew that her Host parent would adopt her, if Meenu’s dad didn’t make it back from war. It was a scary thought for the little girl, her dad dying on duty, and Chloe made sure to not bring it up unless she absolutely had to.

“Miss Frazer! Miss Frazer!” Another one of her students popped into the classroom, fear encircling her large eyes.

Meenu remained at her teacher’s side, playing with the edge of her shirt.

“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

“Jamie started coughing up whole flowers in the playground! It had blood on it.”

It was a mess to deal with, that was for sure. He was so young, almost too young to be in the latest stages of Hanahaki - but there was no use arguing semantics at this point. It was a flower she had never seen before, or maybe she just didn’t recognize it with all of the blood covering the petals. The school nurse made the call to his parents, informing them that their son should be taken to the hospital immediately. Chloe did her best to keep the boy calm as his parents hurried to the school, which was a bit more difficult than she anticipated. It tore her up inside to see a boy that young so heavily affected by such a horrible disease.

As she watched his parents help him into the car, Chloe tried to recall ever seeing petals for his flower in the classroom. It was hard to say, since she usually swept them up without really examining them, but the flower definitely felt foreign to her. Had he been keeping this a secret the whole time? Hell, did his own parents even know what was happening? Their faces were pale when they stepped out of their car - and who could blame them, having to deal with this so soon.

Chloe groaned, gripping the bridge of her nose. “Didn’t think I’d have to deal with this today…” she mumbled, hands on her hips.

“Do you know who he was in love with?” The school nurse asked, looking up from a clipboard that was perched in her arms.

She simply arched her brow.

“I need to know for the report.”

“Report?”

The nurse nodded. “Whenever there’s a case of Hanahaki this serious in a student, we have to report it. We’re responsible for the child while they’re on premises, so we keep track of these events. It’s also used by sociologists and doctors trying to find trends in the disease and whatnot.”

Chloe sighed, “Son of a bitch.” She rushed to her classroom, quickly looking at the floor for any petals as she gathered her things. When she was sure her classroom was clean, she made her way home. Something about the reports rubbed her the wrong way, and she had the unstoppable urge to take a shower and rid herself of that dirty feeling.

She couldn’t help herself from glaring at any flower petals that she saw on the sidewalks, a little pissed and quite overwhelmed. To be fair, it wasn’t the boy’s fault. It wasn’t even the nurse’s fault. Chloe had quite an opinionated stance on the whole disease thing, ever since she was a little girl. When the boy next to her in grade six coughed up flower petals, young Chloe had a million and one questions for her mom and dad that evening. Even after her parents explained it to her until they were blue in the face, she had never understood why it had to happen. Why did the people with a big heart have to suffer, and maybe even die, simply because they fell in love?

She couldn’t get the image of that bloody flower out of her head, even as she stood beneath the stream of her shower. Chloe barely noticed the water turning cold, long hair sticking to every curve it could touch as she lost herself in her own mind


	2. Bashful Girl

A week flew by with little incidents. Jamie was still absent from school, probably in the hospital recovering from the removal surgery. It was quite an invasive procedure, one that a ten-year-old sure never have to endure. Chloe sighed, clutching the strap of her bag tighter as she walked to work. She would have been informed if something had happened during surgery, right? He was her student after all.

“Chloe!” An excited voice broke the teacher from her stupor.

“Elena,” Chloe smiled, waiting for her friend that was rushing to reach her. “I don’t usually see you in the mornings.”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you? I’m coming for Career Day!” Elena grinned up at her friend, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. “As soon as Cassie found out about Career Day, she wouldn’t stop asking me to come in. How could I say no to my baby?”

“So that’s why you're carrying that bouquet. Is it heavy? Do you need me to carry it?”

“No no, It's okay!”

Chloe shook her head, reaching out to take the relatively-large vase from Elena. “I insist.”

The vase was even heavier than Chloe expected, but it was no problem. She was quite proud of how in-shape she was - and the fact that she found time to workout as much as she did with her busy schedule was also a prideful feat.

“Thank you.” Elena was a florist, specializing in weddings and floral photography. Occasionally, she was hired to photograph Hanahaki cases. There was a niche lifestyle amongst victims of the disease that wanted every stage to be photographed, right until they had their surgery. Chloe had a hard time seeing the appeal, but she understood that Elena needed money and those jobs paid a lot.

“Where is Cassie, anyways?” Chloe asked, pretending to look around Elena for the tiny girl.

“She slept over at a friend’s house last night, so they’re bringing her to school. I figured I’d get there early and catch up with my best friend who’s been a tad m.i.a. recently.” Elena gave her a pointed look, to which Chloe smiled - a tad of sheepishness hidden beneath mirth, one shoulder lifted in place of a shrug.

“I’ve been working on my bod ‘lena, don’t judge.”

Between the bantering and reminiscing as the two made their way to the school, Chloe hoped that her inkling of nervousness was well-concealed. It was odd for her to feel like this, since it was just a normal day. Despite what she kept telling herself, her pulse raced, she could practically feel it jumping out of the side of her neck. What the hell was wrong with her?

It only took a minute to drop off Elena’s flower vase to the kindergarten classroom, and it took all of five seconds for Chloe to become annoyed with the homeroom teacher’s flirting and leave. Flirting didn’t usually bother her that much, but she had turned this guy down several times before, so she was a bit tired of his persistence. On top of that, she had this weird mood she couldn’t shake. Maybe she was getting sick?

At the ripe hour of six-thirty in the morning, Chloe knew she had plenty of time to catch up with her old friend. The kids wouldn’t start arriving until seven at the earliest, and she was actually ahead on grading for once. She had planned on spending the half-hour reading, but she could put that off for the weekend.

As usual, Elena had a lot to say - and, luckily, Chloe loved talking. Today, however, she spent most of her time listening, as her friend seemed to have quite a bit on her mind. Elena was an excellent mother, no one could deny that. She did everything for her daughter, gave up everything so Cassie could have things she wanted. Chloe had offered to help many times, to which Elena declined every time. She was a bit prideful when it came to her daughter - which is understandable, she is a single parent after all. That can’t be an easy task. Chloe’s own mother once told her that being a parent is the single toughest job a person can have, but can be the most rewarding. Obviously, she had some idea what caring for kids was like, being a teacher and all, but skipped the whole being pregnant and giving-birth parts (which, if you asked her, she was perfectly content with missing out on). 

“...and, I know that I’m doing my best, but sometimes I just feel like I’m not doing enough, you know? Like, the other day, she-”

Elena was cut off by the classroom door opening, followed by a knock on the wall. 

“Teacher!” Chloe’s (favorite) student bound in, boxy-grin plastered on her face. Following behind the girl was a much more hesitant woman, and all Chloe could see was pretty curls and muscular arms at first. Then, she looked around the room, and Chloe got a spectacular view of her facial structure. 

“Holy shit.” She admired under her breath, just quiet enough so Meenu wouldn’t hear. Elena gave her friend a look, but settled for a knowing smile. Chloe barely even noticed, only focused on the stuttering of her heart as she locked eyes with the beautiful stranger. Was it even legal for someone's eyes to be that pretty?

“This is my Host parent that I’ve been telling you about! Aren’t you excited to meet her?” Meenu asked, eyes wide with innocence.

“Uh, yeah.” She started, making her way across the classroom. It took her a second to get her bearings, but once she did, she was her usual-self: charming, friendly Frazer. “I’m Chloe Frazer, Meenu’s teacher.” She held her hand out, and put on what she assumed was a welcoming smile. The other's flicked down then up again, in a motion so quick she would have missed it if she blinked. Their eyes met again, and - oh please don’t be attracted to a student’s Host that would be so, so inappropriate. And not in a good way.

“I’m her favorite student. She's Indian, like me!” Meenu giggled from her spot next to Elena on the windowsill.

“Oh really?" She stepped even closer, a confident swagger dominating her stance, much different than the somewhat tentative woman at the door. "Nadine Ross. It’s nice to finally meet you.” Nadine received the handshake, her grip strong but not unpleasantly-so. She smiled at Chloe, her cheeks pulling up the smallest bit. “I’ve heard quite a lot about you.”

“Only good things, I’m sure.” Oh god, did her voice just wobble? Chloe's voice doesn't wobble!

“You’ll just have to find out, I suppose.” Nadine’s tone was a lovely contrast to the tough aura she exuded, a fruity sound that wasn’t too loud or too quiet. She wasn’t dressed fancily, simply in cargo pants, boots, and a form-fitting tee that showed off a lot of muscle. It was militaristic, but without the camo and heavy gear. Her hair was tied back, but the tight curls were still visible.

Chloe had also noted the height difference. Quite lovely, indeed.

“Curious about my job, eh?” Nadine must have noticed her staring, if the smug half-smile on her lips had anything to do with it.

“Somewhat. Normally I see scrubs and pantsuits. It’s kind of nice, seeing something new.”

Nadine chuckled, but chose to keep quiet as she made her way over to Meenu. Chloe listened in as Elena introduced herself, and felt a pang of guilt that she hadn’t introduced her best friend herself. It wasn’t really like her, but she blamed it on how off she felt ever since she woke up.

“Huh, you get those a lot?” Nadine asked, gesturing to the stray flower petal beside a student’s desk.

“Unfortunately.” Chloe sighed, glancing up to eye the fallen petal. She must have missed it while cleaning the other day. “We had a pretty intense incident a week ago, but nothing major since.” Another sigh. “I hope he’s okay.”

“You don’t know?”

Chloe turned her gaze towards Nadine, shaking her head. “Well, I figure if something went wrong, I would have heard about it by now."

Again, Nadine seemed to keep her comment to herself. Chloe watched as the other’s gaze remained glued to the petal, a forlorn look swimming in her eyes. It gave Chloe pause, seeing such a vulnerable look flicker in the eyes of someone who seemed so strong.

The school bell ringing pulled her away from the moment, and she waited for the wave of students and their parents to pour in. Hopefully Career Day would go smoothly, and she wouldn’t have to break up two parents arguing about whose kid was smarter or more athletic than the other - last year’s was probably the worst Career Day she has ever had to go through.

Was it bad that Chloe was only looking forward to Nadine’s turn?


	3. Cloudy Thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely comments~ Please enjoy this update!

The day had been pretty much what Chloe anticipated: a bunch of attorneys, doctors, nurses, businessmen, telling the kids how amazing their respective job was, why they should be interested in the field, blah blah blah. It took a lot for her to suppress her eye rolls and exaggerated yawns. Really, how boring could they be? A teacher’s life wasn’t particularly enticing or anything, but at least she could make things interesting.

The only snag had been, of course, Nadine. As she made her way to the front of the class, the kids seemed to perk up a bit more. Meenu was more than happy to introduce her Host-Mom, the affection and adoration crystal clear in the young one’s voice. The look of pride in Nadine’s eyes as she watched Meenu, the small smile that tugged ever so gently at the corner of her lips, her large hand fondly ruffling the girl’s hair - they all struck at a cord in Chloe’s heart. She was almost like an optical illusion, her kind and gentle nature clashing beautifully with her authoritarian energy; a captivating paradox. 

After she was done explaining her job in what was probably the simplest way possible (had no idea someone could explain what a mercenary was to a bunch of fifth graders in not even five minutes), Chloe had to step up and calm the students down from being a little too eager to ask questions. Nadine probably took up double the time the other parents did, and there were still plenty of questions that had to remain unanswered. Some of the other parents were looking annoyed, and Chloe really didn’t want one of them complaining to her boss. She got lectured almost every Career Day and she was determined to break that streak this year.

Once the school day had finally come to a close, the obnoxious bell ringing out from the speakers. It was then that Chloe noticed something odd, when she went to take a breath. Her chest hurt, a dull soreness that seemed to embrace her lungs like a harness. Amidst the peculiar ache, a sharp pain pierced through the side of her ribcage. That was weird. If she had been having these pains all day, she most definitely failed to notice it until now.

“You okay?” Shit, was her condition so troubling that she hadn’t realized Nadine was still in the room?

“Yeah, just a small pain.” Chloe forced a smile, dropping her hand that had been rubbing at the accursed sight of her discomfort. “It’s, ah, probably just a cold or something.”

“It is flu season,” Nadine mused. She looked as if she wanted to say something more, the concern still evident in her face. If there was anything she may have been pondering, she didn’t act on it, settling for a small nod of her head.

“Where’s Meenu gone?” Chloe asked, vaguely gesturing with a lift of her hand to the otherwise empty classroom.

“Bathroom. I told her I’d wait here for her.” Her hands settled on her hips, gaze tossed outside the large windows. A small field sat just next to Chloe’s classroom, the trees bare except for a few stubborn leaves.

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” Chloe glanced outside as well, curious as to what had captured Nadine's attention.

“Ah, nothing. Just admiring the view.”

“I have heard that the view of a dying field is desired by many.” Chloe joked, eyes flicking down towards her desk. She sorted aimlessly through the papers that rested there, in an attempt to keep her hands busy. 

Nadine was silent for a moment, the air thickening ever so slightly with an unnamable tension. A melancholic look took over her gaze, mouth set in a tense line. Chloe could see the gears in Nadine’s brain working, trying to determine if she should say anything or what was the right thing to say.

She muttered a curse under her breath, moving around the desk to stand closer to Nadine. Her mouth opened, trying to figure out what to say as well. An apology - did she have something to be sorry for? It was hard to tell, and it would be weird to just apologize out of nowhere like that. Shit, what could it have been-

“I never went to school. At least, not one like this. My father tutored me when I was young, trained me how to fight, sent me to military school.” Nadine sighed, folding her arms across her chest. “I was always curious what a normal school looked like.”

Chloe turned, looking at the small field. The windows in her room were facing behind the school, so there wasn’t much to see. “You must have had a ball today.” She suggested, trying to lighten the mood.

Nadine gave a thin smile, taking in a deep breath through her nose. Her crossed arms exaggerated the rise and fall of her chest, making it nearly impossible for Chloe to overlook the movement. “I suppose.” There was a lead-up to her words, her head ducking down a tinsy amount as she spoke. It almost seemed insincere, but Chloe had an inkling that there was more to her words than she let on.

Her story kept ringing in her head, even as she tried to distract herself at home. Her heart wasn’t in it to workout, and not one channel she flicked through caught her attention. Not to mention, the pain in her chest hadn’t faded. In fact, there were even more sharp pricks on her side than there was earlier, coming and going as she restlessly moved about her apartment. She was getting bombarded from all fronts, it seemed. Why wasn’t she able to get that woman out of her head? Sure, she had been hearing about Nadine for months now, but she only met her today. Ugh!

Well, there was only one thing to do.

“It’s not fair, Elena!” Chloe whined, nearly-empty beer bottle in hand. She was slumped over the kitchen table, hair falling into her face.

“What’s not fair?” Her friend asked, patience swaddling her words. She had been going on about something for at least an hour now, and while she had an idea of what was bothering Chloe so much, she didn’t want to put words in her mouth.

“It!” She stressed, banging her forehead on the table. Cassie giggled from her spot in Elena’s lap, stuffed monkey hugged tight against her chest. Chloe pulled her head up enough to rest her chin on the table, a slight pout pulling on her bottom lip. “I’m glad at least someone finds my suffering amusing.”

Elena sighed. “Chloe, just admit it. You have a crush on Nadine.”

“I do not!” She defended, resuming her upright-position. “Chloe Frazer doesn’t do crushes. You know that better than anyone, Elena.”

“Well, it’s hard to not be attracted to someone who looks like that.” Elena teased. “Isn’t she your type? Strong and pretty.”

“You’re not helping!” She hid her face behind her hands. “I’m scared.” Chloe’s voice was thick, her words shivering. “You know I still have my flowers, I've never needed to get them removed.”

“You’ve been with people before.”

“Yeah, but not romantically.” She sighed, her whole body sagging. “I wouldn’t want to do that to Nadine, a silly one-night romp. She’s not just some random girl or guy at a bar that I’ll never see again. And she’s Meenu’s Host, for christ’s sake. I shouldn’t have any feelings for her in the first place. It’s not professional to be attracted to a student’s parent, Host or otherwise.”

Elena sat quiet for a moment. “Well...you won’t see her again, right? It’s not like she works with you.” She reached out, gently touching her hand against Chloe’s. She hated seeing her friend so distraught. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

The pounding of Chloe’s heart and bogged up mind said otherwise.

“Want me to sleepover? Tomorrow's Saturday, so we don’t need to be anywhere.”

“What about the shop?” Chloe asked, perching her head on her hand. “And Cassie, she’ll need something to sleep in.”

“I have a set of sleep clothes for her with me - I brought them just in case she passed out. And I was going to open the shop late tomorrow, anyways. Spend some time with Cassie. Why not spend time with you, too?” Elena picked up her daughter, setting her higher on her lap. “How does a sleepover with Auntie Chloe sound? Fun?”

“Yeah!” Cassie cheered, all crooked teeth and puffy cheeks. “Sleepover!”

“How can you say no to this face?” Elena asked, poking at her daughter's cheeks, which elicited another high-pitched laugh.

And it turns out, Chloe really couldn’t say no to them. Her room was dark, the only light coming from behind the rickety blinds that covered the one window in her bedroom. Cassie was snoring softly, snuggling with her toy monkey as she lay in between Chloe and Elena. The company was nice, she had to admit. She hadn’t shared a bed with someone like this since she was about Cassie’s age, when she’d climb into bed between her mom and dad whenever she had bad nightmares. Laying with someone like this was comforting - Chloe had forgotten how comforting just lying beside another person could be.

“Elena?” She whispered into the darkness.

“Yeah?” Her voice was drowsy, as if she was just about to doze off.

“Thank you. For, uh, suggesting this.” Chloe stumbled a bit through her words, now that she wasn’t tipsy and loose-lipped. “I didn’t know I needed this.”

“Of course. What are friends for?” Elena quietly laughed, before snuggling up against her daughter.

Chloe found herself smiling as sleep started to take hold of her. She was truly lucky that she had a friend as wonderful as Elena. Just as she was about to succumb to slumber, Nadine’s smiling face flashed behind her eyes - Chloe was barely able to register it before she fell into a dreamless sleep.


	4. For Better or Worse

Chloe had done an excellent job of avoiding Nadine - even though it wasn’t that difficult of a task in the first place. Meenu was talking even more about her Host-Mom, especially after she had been such a hit on Career Day. It was nice, seeing her so happy. When Meenu had first entered the school a few years ago, she had a hard time fitting in - so the inclusivity was a nice contrast, and long overdue.

Unfortunately, it seemed that her good fortune wasn’t meant to last.

When Chloe was called into her Boss’ office, she thought it might have been about Jamie. The poor boy was having a hard time with bullying ever since he returned to school - and while Chloe did the best she could to help him, there was only so much she could do without putting her job at risk (you mock-threaten a kid _one time_ and your Boss gives you a warning and an incredibly boring lecture, sheesh).

The last thing she expected when she opened the door was to see Nadine standing near the wall, expression grim. The air in the office was thick - she felt as if she had to choke down every breath. 

“...What’s going on here?” Chloe asked, gingerly stepping into the dimly lit office. The dark and rainy day outside only amplified the dreary atmosphere.

“Ms. Frazer, please, sit.” Her boss gestured to the empty chair right behind her. “This concerns a certain student of yours.”

“I’m guessing it has to do with Meenu, then?” She wasn’t trying to be funny, not really, even though her words could be taken in a wisecrack-ish manner. In truth, she was waiting with bated breath for the news, her shoulders and back visibly tensing with every passing moment.

“As you both know,” he ignored her pseudo-quip, gesturing between the two women, “Meenu was set to return to India at the end of the year, as her Father’s active duty would be finished by then. But,” He paused to reach into a manila folder, pulling out a single sheet of paper, “here. Take a look at this.”

Chloe reached for the paper, almost certain what she would see once she turned it over. Nadine made no move towards it - it seemed she already knew. It was written all over her face, no matter how hard she tried to keep her expression neutral, she was able to see the tornado of emotions that danced around inside of Nadine. Chloe’s eyes darted towards her - whether she was seeking reassurance or solidarity, she wasn’t quite sure. The instant their eyes met, Chloe regretted it; the weight of her gaze was so substantial that it made her head spin.

She flipped the paper over. 

A declaration of death, a list of the names of men who had fallen prey to a recent bombing. The list was too long, far too long. Her eyes jumped to a circled name, one she recognized immediately.

“Oh no,” she breathed, the chair behind catching her as her knees gave out. “This is…?”

“Ja.” Nadine spoke up, voice tight. “Meenu’s father.”

“Miss Ross, you have stated previously that you were willing to adopt Meenu if her father ever died while serving. Is that still true?” 

“Of course. What would happen to her if I didn’t?” There was a tinge of aggression in her voice, a challenge. Nadine visibly straightened. “I don’t go back on my word.”

“Alright,” the Principal nodded, shifting his gaze to Chloe. “Now, Ms. Frazer.”

“Yes?”

“As her teacher, and someone she looks up to, I have a request of you. It may be a bit unprofessional, but this is a delicate situation we are dealing with here. I’m about to call Meenu up here, so we can break the news to her. She’s going to have a hard adjusting, as you can imagine.” He cleared his throat, a sheepish look flashing in his expression. “Will you be there for her through this process, as someone to rely on and confide in?” 

The nature of the question caught Chloe off guard. It seemed like such an obvious answer, why was he even questioning her on this? She tittered. "I feel like I'm supposed to say _I do_ here." Not a great time for jokes, but she couldn't help it. There were a lot of feelings swimming inside of her, how was she supposed to deal with all of it?

“I know it’s a lot to ask.” Nadine spoke up, moving to sit in the chair besides Chloe. She seemed tense, or maybe she was just nervous. “It was my idea to ask you, in the first place. I know it may be rude and I have no right to ask for your help, but you share something with her that I can never even hope to - an entire culture. She loves having you as her teacher, always tells me how much you remind her of home and how safe she feels with you. And-"

“Hey, hey,” Chloe softly shushed her, “no need to get so worked up, yeah? Of course I’ll help you. It’s not even a question. I love Meenu just as much as you do.” She sighed. "I just need a minute to adjust, that's all. It's a lot to take in. But," she paused, locking eyes with Nadine, "I can handle it."

The smile graced the mercenary's face was so genuine, it made her chest hurt.

Chloe wasn’t in the room when Meenu found out. Although it was very obvious that Nadine didn’t want to break the news to her alone, Chloe had to get back to her classroom. It was her job, after all. Thank god she didn’t cross paths with the kid on her walk back, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to look her in the eye.

Don’t get her wrong, Chloe wanted to be there. She knew what it was like to receive news that your father was suddenly dead. She wanted to be there for her, no matter what she needed - a shoulder to cry on? not even a question; something to punch? here’s my arm, go for it kid; someone to take her emotions out on? I know you’re feeling a lot of things and don’t mean any word of it, and that’s cool. Chloe wanted to be whatever Meenu wanted from her, so she could grieve and heal and grow properly.

Heh, she sounded an awful lot like a mother.

When the final bell rang, and Meenu's seat was still empty, Chloe packed up her abandoned belongings. As she glanced down at the small backpack, a cute cartoon elephant smiling up at her, she realized that she wasn’t sure what was going to happen from here on out. Was there much she really could do to help? Maybe not. After all, she was just a teacher.

But the fact that Meenu looked up to her so wholeheartedly, becoming so attached to a teacher that she was bound to leave, it was more than enough reassurance that she was doing the right thing. And the palpable trust that Nadine had in her, to look after her little girl? That was an added bonus.


	5. The First Petal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is curious as to what their flowers look like:  
> [Chloe](https://i.pinimg.com/474x/cd/5a/25/cd5a257c39cbeb15da8bb68826e4b35b.jpg)  
> [Nadine](https://www.fiftyflowers.com/site_files/FiftyFlowers/Image/Product/Gladiolus_Deep_Purple_Bloom_350_faf857c6.jpg)

It surprised Chloe how easy it was to be around Nadine. There were a few times that she had gotten worked up or defensive, but most of the time Nadine was laidback and humble. Whenever Chloe met her limit, exhaustion and stress eating at her, Nadine was able to bring her back to earth with minimal effort. If Nadine ever become too narrow-minded, too focused on one task, Chloe was there to help her see the bigger picture again.

Their excellent teamwork proved incredibly valuable while taking care of Meenu. A routine had been established: everyday after school, she would stay with Chloe in the classroom while she finished some things up, and the two would take a fifteen-minute walk to Nadine’s apartment.

During the first few weeks after her father’s death, Meenu hadn’t spoken a word to anyone. Slowly, she began saying a few things here and there, and after almost two months she was somewhat back to her regular self. There was a noticeable shift in her, that was to be expected, but Chloe didn’t have to crash at Nadine’s place just because she was too worried about Meenu to leave anymore.

Things were finally starting to return to normal.

Chloe was startled awake by her phone ringing, and she rolled over to grab it. Through squinted eyes, she was able to make out that it was almost three in the morning. Once her eyes adjusted to the screen’s brightness, she couldn’t believe who was dialing her.

“Nadine?”

“Teacher!” Well, _that_ was definitely not Nadine’s voice.

“Meenu?” Chloe sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Na-...It’s my mom. She’s sick. And, we don’t have any medicine at home, so-”

“Nadine’s sick?” She asked, already hopping out of bed. She perched the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she reached for a discarded pair of sweatpants, shimmying them on.

“Yes! I looked for medicine but the bottles were empty, and I…”

“Hey, hey, listen to me.” Chloe began, slipping on a pair of sneakers. “I’m on my way now, okay sweetie? Keep the door locked, I’ll ring when I’m there.”

“Thank you, Teacher. Thank you so much.”

“Of course. Now, go sit with your mom, okay? I should be there in no longer than a half an hour.”

In fact, she got there in a little over ten minutes. Regardless of the pouring rain, Chloe grabbed almost everything she could think of and ran, not caring if she slipped on the sidewalk. The streets were bare, only a few cars loitering about. The night seemed impossibly dark, the dim street lights illuminating the raindrops were a blur as she raced underneath them. 

Chloe only stopped to take a breath when she arrived at the apartment, crouched over with her hands on her knees. She was utterly soaked, hair slick with rainwater sticking to her face and neck. Once she had some semblance of her breath back (man, why did her chest hurt so badly?), she called Meenu to let her know she had arrived.

She opened the door, eyelids heavy and brows furrowed. How long had she been awake, trying to take care of Nadine? Chloe brought the bag to the kitchen, pulling out the thermometer, medicine, and ice pack. She wasn’t quite sure what she was dealing with, so she may have brought too much - but better safe than sorry, at least in this instance.

The bedroom was dark. Chloe could just barely make out a bump in the large blankets, a thick cough coming from somewhere inside there. Seemed Meenu found every blanket in the house...that didn’t bode well. After peeling back a few layers, Chloe finally found Nadine. Her hair was down, which couldn’t be comfortable, her curls sticking to her temples and anywhere else they touched. A quick press of her hand onto the other’s forehead only made her more worried. 

“Jesus.” She muttered, gently sitting on the bed. She could either try and get the temperature without Nadine noticing, potentially scaring her, or she could wake her up and get results that way.

Chloe really didn’t want to get beaten up, so she chose the later. “Nadine?” She started softly, gently moving some of the sweaty hair off of her face. “C’mon china, wake up for me, yeah?” 

Eventually, Nadine stirred, slowly opening her eyes. It took her a long moment to actually wake up, recognition slowly bleeding into her face. “Chloe?” She croaked, voice deep and gravelly.

“Morning, sleeping beauty. A little birdie told me that you’re sick, hmm?”

Nadine groaned, a rather violent cough immediately following. It was obvious that she was embarrassed, having been found in such a rough state by her friend. She sighed, another violent cough emerging.

Chloe simply tsked. “Can you open your mouth for me a small bit, so I can take your temperature?” 

It took a minute, but she complied. Chloe continued to push the wild hairs out of Nadine’s face, and she watched as her eyes fluttered shut. The small thermometer beeped, and Chloe’s heart clenched when Nadine flinched at the sudden sound.

“38.9 degrees…” She internally sighed, setting the thermometer down onto the nightstand. “Any closer to 40 and I would have had to call a doctor, love.”

Nadine gave a weak laugh, coughs breaking up the sound. “Good. I hate doctors.”

A smile crept its way onto her face. “I thought you might.”

Chloe went through the motions after that, helping Nadine adjust in her cocoon of blankets after giving her some medicine. The bowl that was perched on the bedside table was clean, so at least she wasn’t throwing up. After waiting with Nadine to make sure she fell asleep, Chloe eased the door shut as quietly as possible.

“How is she?” Meenu asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“She’ll be okay. Her temperature is a little high, but not dangerously so.” 

Once she wrangled Meenu into her own bed, reassuring her over and over again that her mom would be fine, Chloe finally checked the time. “5:43...where did the time go?”

It was still too early to call in sick for work (she was not going to leave Meenu and Nadine alone when they obviously needed her), so she decided to clean up the apartment a little bit. It wasn’t messy per se, but she wanted everything to be neat and clean for whenever Nadine recovered. As she was organizing, she happened upon a thin stack of clothes, with a note that simply read ‘Thank you’ in cute handwriting. She’d have to thank Meenu later.

The t-shirt and boxers were a bit big on her, but not uncomfortably so. With her own clothes in the dryer, she began snooping through the kitchen, trying to find something to make for the sick one when she woke up. Searching through cabinet after cabinet proved fruitless, and once Chloe’s sweatpants were dry (enough), she slipped them on, grabbed Nadine’s house key and walked to the nearest store. Sure, it was only six in the morning, and she may have called in sick for work while perusing the ginger selection of the local twenty-four-hour supermarket, but she was getting shit done.

Neither of them were awake when Chloe returned to the apartment with her goodies, so she got to work, making ginger tea from a fresh ginger root, setting aside the ingredients for the soup for later. The sun was just beginning to rise as she made her way to the balcony, searching for the large cat food bag.

Nadine technically couldn’t own a pet in this apartment, but feeding stray cats from your balcony wasn’t against the rules either. A few ceramic bowls sat in a cluster on the right side of the patio, with small fish and cat designs scattered along the bowls. She filled them up, taking great delight in petting the couple cats that showed up during that time. Chloe knew Nadine would be heartbroken if they had to go a day without their bowls being filled.

The rest of the early morning was peaceful. She woke Nadine once to take her temperature, relieved that it had gone down. Chloe was certain that Nadine was only half-awake when she had done it, much more acquiescent than before. It was still too high, but she was happy with the definite change.

“I have some tea for you. Want me to help you?”

Of course, she refused, but when she started coughing too much, Chloe took charge. Nadine definitely seemed to be waking up, eyes much more alert than when she had first arrived. Every time she tried to the cup for herself, Chloe batted her hands away, insisting that her helping was easier.

“Hopefully this will sit well. Don’t need you throwing any of this up.” 

Nadine leaned her head back, eyes almost closing completely. “My shirt looks good on you.” She muttered, probably unaware of what she was actually saying.

“Y...Your…?” Well, Chloe felt dumb. Why hadn’t she realized that the clothes were hers?

Nadine drifted off, blind to the new-found flush that made its way onto Chloe’s cheeks. As soon as the blankets were properly adjusted, she hurried to the guest bathroom. The image Chloe received when she looked into the mirror was not appealing in the slightest: frizzy hair, puffy eyes and red splotches on her cheeks.

As she tried to get her hair under control, an uncomfortable ache settled into her chest. It felt like something was scratching at her lungs, trying to crawl up and out of her throat. The feeling grew and grew, until she found herself bent over the sink, coughing her lungs out.

When the fit settled, Chloe’s eyes blurry with tears, the unfamiliar red spot in the sink appeared to be blood. But once her vision cleared, she realized what it really was - a flower petal, perched in the bowl of the off-white porcelain. The center was dark red, the color becoming more vibrant as it reached the edges. Something was glistening along the surface of it - which Chloe finally realized was her own spit.

“Oh no.” She cried, hands shaking as she gripped the counter.

How the hell had she let this happen?

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk at me on my [tumblr!](https://nadinesarms.tumblr.com/)


End file.
